16-year-old girl was struck and seriously injured while walking near San Marcos High School

A 16-year-old girl suffered potentially life-threatening injuries when she was struck by a vehicle early Thursday morning near a busy intersection just west of San Marcos High School, authorities said.

The collision occurred just after 6:30 a.m. on South Rancho Santa Fe Road, just south of San Marcos Boulevard, the Sheriff’s Department said.

People called 911 and told dispatch that a teenager had been struck and left lying in the roadway, the department said in a news release.

San Marcos firefighters immediately provided medical aid to the girl and then took her to a hospital with “major, potentially life-threatening injuries,” the department said.

The initial investigation indicates the driver was traveling north on South Rancho Santa Fe Road, toward the intersection with San Marcos Boulevard, when the teen crossed the road.

The driver remained at the scene of the accident and is cooperating with investigators. Neither drugs nor alcohol are believed to have played a role in the collision, authorities said.

Authorities did not say whether the teen was a student at the high school.

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed a collision or captured it on dashcam to contact Deputy James Clone at 760-510-5047 or via email at [email protected].